Sheldon Doral Franklin sentenced for hiding automatic pistol on child

Sheldon Doral Franklin, a 33-year-old convicted felon from Alexandria, Louisiana, has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Jerry Edwards Jr. issued the sentence on August 21, which also includes two years of supervised release.

The sentencing follows a March 2024 traffic stop in Pineville involving a stolen vehicle. During the encounter, police discovered a loaded Glock Model 23 .40-caliber pistol hidden against the leg of Franklin’s 10-year-old child, concealed by a bag of chips. The handgun had been fitted with a machine gun conversion device, also known as a ‘switch,’ which allows a semi-automatic weapon to fire in fully automatic mode. Franklin pleaded guilty in April to being a felon in possession of a firearm.